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For someone that is a sports and media nerd, the Super Bowl can cause a sensory overload at times. I have documented the advertisements that ran from 30 minutes before kickoff until the final whistle. The first section is broken down by the breaks, and the second section is the volume of ads that ran from each company. I also included the promos that NBC incessantly ran throughout the broadcast for comparison. A 30 second spot ran for an average of about $3.5M this year…I’ll let you do the math from here…

Very interesting to see the huge push from Hyundai, probably the hottest and fastest growing car company in the United States. The rest of the car world continued an aggressive push, and the Clint Eastwood/Chrysler/Detroit ad is obviously getting the most post-Super Bowl buzz. All of the beer companies, except Bud Light, seemed to take a bit of a step back, but we also probably saw more movie trailers than we’ve ever seen before. And again, I think we’re crystal clear on the shows that NBC really wants to succeed this spring.

A battle for legacies will take place this Sunday in Indianapolis as the Patriots and Giants square off in Super Bowl XLVI. Full breakdown of all Super Bowl scenarios as well as the hiring of Brian Johnson as Utah’s next Offensive Coordinator on today’s show with special guests Anthony Dinwoodey Morris and John Wells Stevens.

Could this NFL season be any better? Honestly, what else could we ask for? We have witnessed the greatest offensive explosion in league history with transcendent play from three Hall of Fame quarterbacks while watching the rebirth of a storied franchise under the direction of what once was a “#1 Pick” bust and an up-and-coming coach (49ers) and one of the most exciting and divisive stories in the history of sports (Tim Tebow). My goodness. In addition to a full breakdown of past, present, and future NFL Playoff games, I also spend some time on the College National Championship game, Tim Tebow’s future, the current state of the NBA, and I certainly take a poke at the tackiness of Hank Haney’s upcoming book on Tiger Woods.

There has been a great deal of talk about the quality of quarterback play in the NFL this year. Oddly enough, much of that chatter has revolved around a player that plays the game in a very unconventional way somewhat taking away from three quarterbacks that are having one of the best seasons in NFL history.

My goodness. All three players are having transcendent years, and all three players have a chance to (Brady and Brees will absolutely get it) shatter Dan Marino’s 27 year old passing record for yards in a season (5,084 yards). Brees could very well break it with 304 yards or more this Sunday with one more game to play, and Brady and Rodgers have a great chance to do so the last week of the season if everything continues as it already has.

Of these three players, Rodgers has certainly received the most attention because of his unbelievably hot start and the full year undefeated streak of his Green Bay Packers. Many have said for weeks that he has already earned the league MVP this season. It is hard for me to debate such a thing when you see the yardage he has amassed and his other-worldly TD:INT ratio, but don’t you think it’s important for us to reference the weapons they all have access to? Don’t you think it’s important for us to measure not just their quality of play, but also the value (Most VALUABLE Player…get it…VALUABLE is part of the name of the award…) they bring to their team?

Rodgers clearly has the best talent around him with Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, Randall Cobb, and Jermichael Finley. The success Brees experiences mostly comes because of the comfort level he enjoys with his receiving corps because of how long they’ve played together. He does have a new and very good security blanket in Joey Graham as well. And Tom Brady continues to primarily throw to a 5’9″ (probably 4.7 sec 40 speed….maybe) receiver that isn’t beating anyone with his athleticism, an obviously lost a step Deion Branch and Chad Ochocinco, and two tight ends that most of the league overlooked because of their less than overwhelming physical skills.

I’m by no means saying that Brady deserves the MVP over Brees and Rodgers, but hasn’t he carried the heaviest load of the three quarterbacks this year (mediocre running backs, horrendous defense)? Isn’t he the most valuable player to his specific team right now? Hasn’t he done the most with the least? The Patriots continue to be the Miami Heat of the NFL…each week you can tell that the team across the ball from them has prepared especially hard to stop them. That game is their Super Bowl, but Tom Brady continues to come out and carve up any type of secondary or blitz packages you throw at him. Young and Montana had Rice. Manning had Harrison and Wayne. Brady has had….Wes Welker?

Regardless of who wins the MVP, there are three incredibly deserving players, and we know we have a must watch postseason ahead of us. Picture this…Packers v. Patriots on the turf in Indianapolis…could it get any better than that?

The Green Bay Packers fell to the lowly Kansas City Chiefs yesterday, and it was the best thing that has ever happened to them.

From Day 1 of this season, the Pack has looked as good as any team in the history of football, but they started to show more and more holes as the season has progressed….bad running game, suspect offensive line, suspect passing D. We saw similar things down the stretch with the 2007 New England Patriots. They were smoking teams by multiple touchdowns, but after a near loss to the Ravens late in the year, teams started to figure out how to slow down their offense and put some points up on their slower, veteran defense. As they continued to win, you could feel the pressure mounting. Once you get to 18-0 and you’re in the Super Bowl, there’s no way that you can just treat it like it’s the “next game.” The Patriots ran into a buzz saw. The Giants had a phenomenal second half of the season, and the Patriots seemed tired and tight in that Super Bowl. They just didn’t look like the same team that put 50+ on the Bills in three quarters earlier in the season. They weren’t just trying to be the best team that year, they were playing to be the best team EVER, and it obviously got to them. If that Giants team and that Patriots team played ten times on a neutral field that year, the Pats probably win eight or nine times. They were that much better than everyone else, but a team can only take so much pressure before cracking.

We’ve seen this type of undefeated run a few other times in recent history…

2009 Indianapolis Colts – 14-0, lost last two games. Lost Super Bowl to New Orleans Saints.
1998 Denver Broncos – 13-0, lost two of their last three. Won Super Bowl.
2005 Indianapolis Colts – 13-0, lost two of their last three. Won Super Bowl.
2009 New Orleans Saints – 13-0, last three straight. Won Super Bowl.
2011 Green Bay Packers – 13-0, lost in Week 15…Super Bowl – TBD.

Do you see a pattern there? Every other team in this modern era that started the season 13-0 went on to win the Super Bowl. Would anyone care about the 72-10 Chicago Bulls if they had ended up losing in the Finals? We all know the answer to that question. As much as the regular season matters to these teams, I can assure you that Tom Brady would have loved to drop a game or two in the regular season in 2007 if it meant winning the Super Bowl that year.

There is something that happens psychologically and emotionally to these teams when perfection is at stake. As soon as that is off the table, teams have the time and the ability to play loose, just like they’re just another team that is part of the chase. They also have a chance to look internally to see what those teams did to beat them…what are their weaknesses, what are their strengths, what kind of gameplan works best. The Patriots played so well for so long in 2007 that they just kept doing the same thing knowing that it had worked so many times before, but like the Chiefs showed this last weekend, there are certain schemes and scenarios that can shut you down regardless of how much better your are than everyone else.

The Packers are the best team in football. As long as they can be healthy for the Super Bowl run they’ll be our world champions. And they’ll probably look back on this one week and realize how helpful it was for them to get healthy over the final three weeks, refocus on their gameplans, and remove all the pressure of playing for perfection.

This Sam Hurd situation has “massive scandal” written all over it and it seems to not be getting quite as much attention as it probably should.

Sam has had a nice little career. He spent 2006-2010 with the Dallas Cowboys and made $1.5M and then $1.75M his last two seasons there. He left after the 2010 season to sign a 3-yr, $5.15M contract with the Chicago Bears. Translation: Sam Hurd has made some ridiculous money playing professional football over the last five years and is obviously valuable enough to these franchises that they are willing to pay him almost $2M/year.

Hurd was arrested Wednesday after he supposedly agreed to purchase a kilogram of cocaine from an undercover agent. (1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds – and in the world of cocaine, this is an unbelievable amount that is only purchased and possessed by someone that has the intent to sell.) He was set free on $100,000 bond and reports say he’ll be tried in Texas where the drug charges originated.

Okay, so here’s another pro athlete that has gotten himself mixed up into something that is entirely unnecessary, and he’ll probably serve some serious jail time for it. But this isn’t just about him trying to buy 1 kilo of cocaine from an undercover officer in Chicago. A law enforcement source told CBS Radio’s 670 The Score that Hurd was one of the top drug dealers in Chicago and that police have a list in the double-digits of NFL players that have purchased drugs from Hurd.

From CBSlocal.com:

“According to the criminal complaint, Hurd told an undercover Homeland Security agent Wednesday night that he and another co-conspirator were already distributing four kilograms of cocaine a week in the Chicago area, but he needed more. He was seeking five to ten kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana a week to distribute and was willing to pay $25,000 per kilo of cocaine and $450 per pound of marijuana. That adds up to as much as $700,000 of drugs each week.” (http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/12/15/source-hurd-provided-drugs-to-other-nfl-players/)

What in the world? Why is a guy that is making almost $2M/year playing in the NFL dealing 5 kilos of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana in a week? And frankly, how does he have the time to do that on top of playing in the NFL? Now we know why he has only had 8 catches for 109 yards this year.

At some point, we’re probably going to see the list of players that Hurd has been dealing to, and that day is going to be a mess for the players and the teams that they play for. Most likely, the majority of these players are going to be present or past Dallas Cowboys. And let’s be honest, authorities may throw Hurd a deal that if he rats out everyone he has been selling to that he won’t have to rot for 20+ years in a federal prison. How many of these guys have contacted their agents and lawyers since Wednesday to figure out a way to cover this when it comes out? Are we going to see a bunch of no-name players on the list, or are some of the bigger name Dallas Cowboys going to be a part of this? What if there are twenty-something active NFL players on this list that have been buying drugs from Hurd for years? Only time will tell, but we know for a surety that this isn’t the last that we’ve heard of this story.

John Wells Stevens lends his soothing voice to the program to discuss the glorious return of the NBA, the Packers quest to perfection, and the thrilling close to the college football season….and some brief commentary on the Robert Allenby v. Geoff Ogilvy upcoming cage match at Wrestle Mania.

The Texans are one of the hottest teams in the league, 8-3, with a two game lead over division rival Tennessee. They’ve won five straight and have the second largest point differential in the league, behind only the 11-0 Green Bay Packers (Packers – +155, Texans – +114). Arian Foster is running almost as well as he did last year, and their defense continues to be dominant after the loss of Mario Williams. So do they honestly need a quarterback? Franchise QB, Matt Schaub is out for the year, and so is backup Matt Leinart after he broke his left collarbone in the first half of yesterday’s victory. Rookie from North Carolina, T.J. Yates is penciled in as the starter with former Jets backup, Kellen Clemens, as the only other signed QB on the roster. Rumor has it that the Texans plan to contact former Chiefs QB, Brodie Croyle, as a possible signing this week. Let’s call a spade a spade here…those are three bad to mediocre QBs (Clemens probably being the best of the bunch). Is this a playoff team? Absolutely. Can they win a game with any of those QBs? Probably not. Are they Super Bowl contenders with any of those QBs? Definitely not. Would this team be better if Brett Favre was playing QB instead of these three? (nodding my head emphatically) When Peter King of Sports Illustrated asked Texans GM, Rick Smith, if he would call on Favre, Smith responded that he “didn’t want to bring the circus to town.” But when Gark Kubiak was asked the same question, he responded that he wouldn’t close the door on anyone. We all know Favre is old and washed up, but he makes for some great TV. He could certainly muster up a couple of big games by year end. I say do it….even if it is just for us to follow another phenomenal storyline. It would certainly make us pay more attention to the Texans than the Cowboys…don’t pretend like the Texans ownership wouldn’t love that.

We all woke up yesterday morning to the phenomenal news that the NBA Lockout was soon to be over. The owners and players have agreed to a new 10-year deal in principle. The deal still needs to be ratified by both sides, and some other secondary issues still need to be decided upon (i.e. drug testing, minimum age to enter draft, etc). Throughout the day I was following the fan response on Facebook and Twitter and was shocked to see the animosity that so many had for the NBA. “I don’t care if the Lockout is over. All the players are overpaid anyway. It’s going to take a long time for them to get me back watching games.” (Note: The idea that players are overpaid is absurd. The market sets their value based off of what you and I are willing to pay to watch their games either on TV or in the stadium. As long as we keep showing up and paying what we do…the players will continue to make the same amount. I believe the phrase is, “don’t hate the player, hate the game.”) Do you remember this kind of angst towards the NFL players when the Lockout was finally ended? I don’t, and I frankly don’t understand why people are so upset at the NBA for this. Sure, the Lockout lasted a few weeks longer, and the debate was a bit more contentious, but was it really that much different? I would have loved it if they would have wrapped it up sooner, but let’s be honest, none of us were going to start watching until Christmas anyway….

I take back everything I said about the Jets making the playoffs in yesterday’s podcast. Say what you will about Tim Tebow (and seriously, did he throw the ball this poorly in college? Why does it look like he has regressed?) the dude figures out ways to win games. Broncos are 4-1 since he took over as the starter. With the AFC West in the situation that it is (Raiders 5-4, Broncos 5-5, Chargers 4-5, Kansas City 4-5) why can’t this team make the playoffs?Image: everyjoe.com/sports/video-tim-tebow-scores-td-for-broncos/

Goodness gracious the NFL is having a great year. I feel like I can’t take my eyes off of a game even when the Jags, Chiefs, or Seahawks are involved. Anthony Dinwoodey Morris brings his unmatched expertise to discuss the NFL playoff picture, pick our favorite teams for the Super Bowl, and to discuss the tragic current state of the National Basketball Association.

As I sat down to think through who the five best teams in the NFL are today, the #1 team was super easy to decide upon. After that…not quite as clear…

1- Green Bay Packers (9-0) – This offense is filthy. The defense is good enough to make plays when plays need to be made. Their schedule down the stretch isn’t anything crazy (Tampa Bay, @Detroit, @NYG, Raiders, @Chiefs, Chicago, Detroit). They’ll handle TB and Detroit on the road, but at the Giants and the home game against the Bears are going to be tough. No question this is our Super Bowl favorite. And thank you for the thumbs up fist pound. Very refreshing.
2- San Francisco 49ers (8-1) – An overtime loss against a good team away from being undefeated. Each week shows that they’re more of a complete team than we all expected. They came out this last week against the Giants planning to throw the ball, basically just to put a middle finger out there so everyone knows that they can do more than run Frank Gore 35 times per game. This team could beat the Packers in a cold game at Green Bay in the playoffs. Tough games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh remain, but they also get Arizona and St. Louis twice by season end. Expect a first round bye.
3- New Orleans Saints (7-3) – Let’s just pretend like the loss to the Rams didn’t happen. Other than that disaster, the Saints have proven to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Brees looks as good as ever, and his dynamic backfield of Ingram, Sproles, and Thomas makes them even more dangerous. Sean Payton always makes me feel like he knows something that no one else does. They’ll win the NFC South.
4- New England Patriots (6-3) – Everyone made a big fuss after the Pats lost two straight (reminder – they lost on the road to a great Steelers team, and a close one to a pretty good Giants team and a surging Eli Manning…did I just say that?), and their only other loss came in dramatic fashion against the Bills when the Bills weren’t playing like they are now (at least Fitzpatrick’s beard is disgusting/awesome). Here’s the deal, the Pats have maybe the easiest schedule in football down the stretch (Chiefs, @Eagles, Colts, @Redskins, @Broncos, Dolphins, Bills) and we know this team can beat any team when the chips are on the table. This is my pick to come out of the AFC.
5- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) – After a 2-2 start, the Steelers have proved that they are just as good as they were last year. Impressive wins against the Bengals and the Patriots sandwiched a tough close loss to the division rival Ravens. Big Ben is proving that he can throw the ball to win them games now (How about him doing a pretty solid job in cleaning up his image? The guy has been a saint since he made an idiot of himself.). If they get Mendenhall running the ball well, this is going to be a really tough team to beat. They’ll edge out Baltimore and Cincinnati for the AFC North crown.

On the fence – Bears (slowly starting to prove that they’re the real deal), Ravens (one week they look like they’re the best team in football, the next…they lose to the lowly Seahawks or Jags), Giants (they’ll be lucky to make the playoffs with the schedule they have left), Texans (Matt Leinart as the starting QB?)

The college football landscape is about as good as it has ever been. LSU v. Alabama (seriously, if you were being recruited by these two schools….would you honestly pick to play for Saban over Les Miles?) with dozens of possible variations for the National Championship soon to be decided by the likes of Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon, and maybe Boise State (fat chance).

The NFL has somehow found a way to match the excitement of college football and is making me not miss my beloved NBA (did you hear that David Stern?!?! I don’t need you!!!). I give my predictions for each division champion, wild card teams, and I absolutely pay homage to maybe the most unbelievable athlete body in the history of human athletes….Terrell Owens.

This has been a phenomenal week in sports. Football season is in full swing and it has not disappointed. The University of Utah got a solid road win at Pitt, but still leaving us wondering what they’re truly capable of moving forward. If Jon Hays can play solid football, this team could very well win out. The BYU season is growing more and more inconsequential while the general college football landscape becomes even more exciting as the true powerhouses begin to separate themselves. Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh almost went to blows highlighting yet another ridiculously entertaining week in the NFL. Oh, and in case I wasn’t clear…Tiger Woods is going to dominate the sport of golf yet again.

A monster thank you to John Wells Stevens for bringing his A game to the show this week. He brought it for his fans, and they shouldn’t be disappointed.